tonight, breaking news. tonight, breaking news. president biden before the american people. his warning tonight on russia. the president telling americans an attack is still distinctly possible. what they're seeing. the president saying the u.s. is ready to respond. tonight, the kremlin claims it has pulled back some of its troops near ukraine. the president saying the u.s. has seen no evidence of that. and what president biden told the russian people directly. and what he's telling americans tonight about being prepared for economic consequences here at home. terry moran in ukraine, cecilia vega at the white house, and martha raddatz tonight on what an attack could look like. also tonight, for the first time in american history, a gun manufacturer paying millions in a landmark settlement, in connection with a mass shooting in the u.s.

remington reaching a $73 million settlement with families of nine victims of the sandy hook massacre. the major turn tonight involving prince andrew, settling the sex abuse lawsuit brought by accuser virginia giuffre. what prince andrew is now saying about jeffrey epstein. the discovery tonight under a stairwell in upstate new york. a 4-year-old girl who was reported missing more than two years ago has been found alive. the battle over masks across this country tonight. lawmakers trying to block school boards, board members facing recall elections. and all of this tonight amid new findings here on omicron and children. the olympics tonight and the 15-year-old russian figure skater allowed to keep competing after that positive test. tonight, now in first place already. could this mean no one will get a medal? >>e king tnew oss-untrstorm tonight, from the rockies all the way

east. severe storms, snow, ice, possible tornadoes. we'll time it out. at jfk airport, the american airlines jet blowing two tires while trying to take off. the american priest and his apology tonight. it turns out thousands of baptisms are now invalid because he used the wrong word. and tonight here, remembering a beloved writer and humorist. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. and we begin tonight with president biden before the american people late today, with a sobering warning on russia, saying a russian attack in ukraine remains a very real possibility. tonight, russia saying it has pulled some troops back from the border. president biden saying today, we've seen no proof of that. and president biden speaking directly to the russian people, saying, we are not your enemy, ukraine is not your enemy. we have no missiles in ukraine. the president also sending a message to vladimir putin, saying, make no mistake, the

u.s. will defend every inch of nato territory with everything it has. these are the images from the russian defense ministry tonight that they clm shs russia but tonight, new satellite images from the past 48 hours showing increased activity among the 150,000 russian forces near the ukrainian border. and tonight, what president biden wants the american people to be prepared for, the economic consequences here at home. and this evening here, what might an attack on ukraine actually look like? we begin with abc's terry moran in ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, in plain, stark terms, president biden warned that a russian invasion of ukraine is still a very real and very dire possibility. and this striking moment, the u.s. president speaking directly to the russian people. >> to the citizens of russia, you are not our enemy. and i do not believe you want a bloody, destructive war against ukraine. >> reporter: biden spoke a few hours after the kremlin claimed some russian troops are leaving

their forward positions and returning to their bases after completing their military exercises. the russian defense ministry releasing this video of tanks they say are being transported away from areas near ukraine. >> we have not yet verified that the russian military units are returning to their home bases. >> reporter: abc news has learned tonight that the u.s. government sees no evidence of a russian withdrawal. in fact, the u.s. continues to see some russian troops actually moving into forward firing positions. those u.s. sources also believe that vladimir putin has told his military to be ready for action by tomorrow. but that it's still unclear if he has made a decision to invade ukraine. and while ukraine is not a nato member, biden with a clear message to putin about any broader ambitions he might have. >> make no mistake, the united states will defend every inch of nato territory with the full force of american power.

>> reporter: in moscow, after meeting with germany's leader today, putin said he had decided to, quote, "partially pull back troops," but he was cryptic about what lies ahead. how will russia act next? "according to plan," putin declared, adding he did not consider the crisis over, and that his security demands, to bar ukraine permanently from joining nato and to roll back the alliance to 1997 positions, had not been met by the west. but putin did say again he was "ready to continue on the negotiating track." new satellite images over the past 48 hours show increased russian military activity among the 150,000 troops it has around ukraine. from military exercises in belarus to the north, to the black sea south. tonight, more u.s. troops are on their way to bolster nato allies. several hundred soldiers from the 101st airborne division in fort campbell, kentucky, are deploying to europe, part of a contingent of 3,000 troops

announced last week. >> and so let's bring in terry moran from ukraine. he's in western ukraine for us tonight. and russia tonight with a swift response to president biden's speech? >> reporter: that's right, david. and it was a sneering message of contempt for something president biden said, that the u.s. is ready to defend freedom at any price. the spokeswoman for the russian foreign ministry said, and i quote, i have never seen the united states pay any price to defend freedom, even the bills have never been paid. david? >> all right, terry, stay with us here, because we want to bring in martha raddatz and cecilia vega, too. and martha, you're learning more about what an attack might look like on ukraine? >> reporter: david, the u.s. believes it would begin with electronic warfare and aerial bombardment on critical infrastructure, this followed by russian special operations forces entering kyiv to decapitate the ukrainian government, with plans to complete the operation in 24 to 72 hours. but even with 150,000 troops, this would not be easy. they would face powerful

resistance. this would be bloody and costly, with potentially thousands and thousands of casualties. david? >> what this could potentially look like. martha, thank you. and our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega tonight. and cecilia, the president also made it very clear today that if russia attacks ukraine, the swift u.s. response will very likely effect the economy here at home, saying americans 140u8d should be prepared? >> reporter: yeah, david, exactly. he's trying to convey to americans why they should feel invested in this outcome. in no uncertain terms, he said today, if russia does this invasion, americans will feel this at home and it will not be painless, he said. now, i just asked the white house what is the worst case scenario that americans should expect if this happens? the press secretary telling me, energy prices could rise, americans will feel that at the pump. david, we have already seen gas prices rise in recent weeks because of these tensions, because the president said today, defending democracy and liberty is never without cost. david?

>> all right, cecilia vega, martha raddatz, terry moran, our thanks to you. now to the historic settlement this evening by a gun maker, the first for a mass shooting in this country. remington arms now agreeing to pay $73 million to the families of some of the victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting, who claimed the company marketed the ar-15-style rifle used in the attack to young men. sometimes in video games. one ad with a tag line that said, "consider your man card reissued." here's abc's janai norman tonight. >> reporter: the landmark lawsuit settlement tonight. gun manufacturer remington arms agreeing to pay a historic $73 million to families of nine victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting. >> today is a day of accountability for an industry that has thus far enjoyed operating with immunity and impunity. >> reporter: those families suing remington, the maker of the bushmaster semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting, accusing the company of unethically advertising a weapon

meant for war to young men, including product placement in video games, and ads like this one, reading, "consider your man card reissued." remington has denied responsibility, but had no comment today. >> it was designed to kill, quickly and efficiently. the sandy hook shooter helped fulfill that purpose, shooting 154 bullets in less than five minutes, and killing 26 innocent people, including my 6-year-old son. >> reporter: today, more than nine years after that fateful morning, the pain is still raw. >> true justice would be our 15-year-old healthy and standing next to us right now. but benny will never be 15. >> reporter: i sat down with francine and david wheeler, who said they joined the lawsuit, feeling like they had to do something, after losing their 6-year-old son, ben. why did you decide not knowing how long it would take, how painful it could be? >> it made sense to us as people

to take part in this, to try to do something. to make it so another dad doesn't have to stand here and deal with this. how could you not take an opportunity like this to try and change something? >> we're not done being parents to benjamin. >> no. not by a long shot. and today is an example of that. >> reporter: and david, the families saying today, this is not about the money. this is about change. they wouldn't settle without remington agreeing to release thousands of pages of internal documents that the families say show remington marketed their guns to get them in the hands of impressionable, violent-prone young men like the one who carried out the shooting in an elementary school here in newtown. david? >> and just incredible to think all of those children would now be 15 and 16 years old. janai norman tonight, thank you. now to the turn for britain's prince andrew, reaching a settlement with virginia giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse when she was a minor. she says they were introduced of

by jeffrey epstein. and tonight, after news of this settlement, what prince andrew is now saying about epstein. here's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, that stunning about-face from prince andrew. settling out of court for an undisclosed amount with his accuser virginia roberts giuffre, after years of denying her claims against him. giuffre, now 38, says jeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell trafficked her for sex with the prince on multiple occasions, starting when she was just 17. in a letter to the court filed by both sides, andrew now saying he "has never intended to malign ms. giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks." the queen's son also acknowledging, "it is known that jeffrey epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. and saying he regrets his association with epstein. >> do you remember her? >> no. >> reporter: a stark contrast from his disastrous interview with the bbc in 2019. >> do you regret the whole

friendship with epstein? >> now -- still not, and the reason being that the people that i met and the opportunities that i was given to learn, either by him or because of him, were actually very useful. >> reporter: and while he does not admit to, or deny ever assaulting or even meeting giuffre, he "commends the bravery of ms. giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others." and david, buckingham palace is not commenting. the terms of that settlement are not public, but the letter says that prince andrew intends to make a substantial donation to giuffre's charities in support of victim's rights. david? >> erielle reshef reporting tonight. erielle, thank you. now, to the discovery under a stairwell in upstate new york. a little girl reported missing more than two years ago when she was just 4, has been found alive. more than 150 miles from where she disappeared. and we have learned that police had been to that home before.

here's abc's stephanie ramos tonight. >> reporter: tonight, police say they found 6-year-old paislee shultis, who was missing for more than two years, in a house in saugerties, new york, huddled in this cold, wet space under the stairs. >> one of my detectives walked up and down the steps a number of times during the course of the search. and he said there was just something about the steps that was off. he used a flashlight and where two of the stepboards came together, he looked through the crack and he saw what he believed was a blanket. eventually they saw a pair of little feet and when they got more boards off, they found the little girl paislee. >> reporter: police say paislee was 4 years old when she was abducted by her biological parents, who did not have custody. police had been to the home before looking for paislee, only to come up empty. but late monday, a fresh tip, the child was being hidden at in a secret location inside the residence. police searching the home for more than an hour. >>oby avg tht

they -- we honestly believed that that child was there and, of course, at the end of the day, that's exactly what the case was. >> reporter: both biological parents and paislee's paternal grandfather were arrested. plice say paislee is in good health and was reunited with her guardian and older sister. david? >> just incredible turn. thank you, stephanie. now to the pandemic tonight. new omicron cases down 80% since the peak a month ago. of course that is good news. and now the battle over masks and just how quickly to take them off. there's also news this evening on omicron and the very real impact on children. here's abc's zohreen shah. >> reporter: tonight, schools turning into battlegrounds over masks. from protests across the country to arrests at this district meeting in new hampshire. in virginia, lawmakers voting to ban mask mandates in schools. in california, many parents eager to see those requirements dropped. >> i'm just ready to see my kids back in school without their masks. >> reporter: frustration now

boiling over at the ballot box. san francisco today holding its first recall election in nearly 40 years, after parents launched a campaign to unseat three school board members they accuse of failing to help reopen schools fast enough. >> children who are disadvantaged have fallen far behind in their schooling, and you only get so much time to catch them up. >> reporter: still other parents insist school board leaders did their best to protect vulnerable communities. >> i believe that they saved many, many lives by having the kids stay home a little bit longer. >> reporter: and tonight, a new cdc report reveals omicron's impact on children. the rate of pediatric hospitalization was four times higher during omicron than during the delta surge. the biggest increase in kids under 5, who still cannot get the vaccine. here in california, people who are fully vaccinated starting tomorrow will no longer have to wear masks in most indoor public places, except for schools. in connecticut and massachusetts, those are the next two states that will drop mask mandates in schools in two

weeks. david? >> zohreen shah with us tonight. zohreen, thank you. tonight, actor alec baldwin is now being sued by the family of cinematographer halyna hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set of the film "rust." the wrongful death suit announced today accusing baldwin, producers, and other crew members of reckless conduct leading to the accidental shooting. the family also claims baldwin turned down training on how to properly draw the weapon that shot her. baldwin insisted he never pulled the trigger. here in new york, sarah palin has lost her libel lawsuit against "the new york times." the jury finding palin did not prove her case, arising from a "times" editorial. in an unusual move, the judge had already told the lawyers he would dismiss the case, because palin had not met the high standard showing "the times" acted with actual malice. her lawyers say they are now ealuating whether to appeal. when we come back here tonight, here in new york city at jfk, the american airlines jet blowing at two tires while trying to take off.

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the system expected to be severe at times, with snow, ice, heavy rain, and flooding as early as tomorrow night. possible tornadoes in the south. that system then pushing east on thursday night with ice and snow from detroit to buffalo, upstate new york. severe storm and flood threats from cincinnati all the way down to the deep south. when we come back here, the american priest and thousands of baptisms now invalid because he used the wrong word. and we remember a beloved writer and humorist tonight. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions

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a priest in the catholic diocese is of phoenix using the wrong phrase his entire career, mistakenly saying, "we baptize you" instead of saying "i baptize you." the catholic church in rome indicating they will need to be rebaptized now. open question tonight about confirmations and weddings that came after. the diocese says he remains a priest in good standing and will help those affected by his mistake. we do have a passing to note tonight. best selling author and political humorist p.j. o'rourke has died. after battling lung cancer. a proud conservative, admired by both sides. he once wrote, "politics is the attempt to achieve power and prestige without merit." friends remembering him as brilliant, funny, and kind. p.j. o'rourke was 74. when we come back here tonight, america strong. how far would you go to save the local chocolate shop? if you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure... ...you're a target for... ...chronic kidney disease. you can already have it and not know it.

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finally tonight here, the couple and their love of chocolate. it's spreading. tonight, the couple that saved the local chocolate shop, america strong. in new york city, in queens, husband and wife mark and rachel making chocolates at their shop. the message, i love you, saying it all. the shop closed after nearly 90 years in business, and they >> hi, david.hould save it.- thank you so much for having us here. >> rachel and mark now employing 15 workers. >> the pandemic was a time for us where we were able to think about what our role was and how we could make an impact in the community. >> asking children in their community to draw rainbows and flowers for front line workers at elmhurst hospital, hit hard during the pandemic. the children then traded their drawings for chocolate. $20,000 worth of chocolate.

>> it was incredible for us to be able to -- >> be apart of. >> yeah. >> everything that elmhurst has done through the pandemic. >> and right here tonight. >> hi, david. >> elmhurst hospital grateful for the rainbows and the chocolates for the children. >> the support of the children in the community have lifted our spirits. they encouraged us during really dark times and they continue to encourage us. >> our heroes on the front lines. and saving the chocolate shop was just the beginning. i'm david muir. i'll see you tomorrow. good night i'm david muir. i'll see you tomorrow. good night.

>> fire forces people to evacuate a high-rise. not everyone was able to get out without getting hurt. >> i'm just not ready yet. >> ready or not, tomorrow the mask mandate goes away in california. plus, we're tracking election day in san francisco and the biggest decision on today's ballot. >> now, from abc7, live breaking news. >> and that breaking news is out of oakland. injuries and rescues afire breaks out in an apartment building. this dramatic video shows two people climbing to safetyen a ladder truck. now, the fire is out. but there was a huge response at this high-rise tower at 7th and market street. sky 7 shows you firefighters are still on scene. and tim johns is also there with the latest. tim? tim: so a very active scene here on seventh and market. i'm going to step aside and give you a better view.

the initial call came in at 4:13 p.m. for a two-alarm fire. o.f.d. con named a fire started on the sixth floor of this building. the cause is still unknown at this time. it's been a pretty terrifying experience for these residents here. and our team actually saw a man and a woman being rescued by that fire truck ladder from a ball con northeast t. couple told us they climbed down to someone else's balcony and had to wait for that ladder ultimately to be rescued. now, we spoke to that woman just a short while another i want you to have a listen to some of what she had to say >> i'm trying to get everything like, we're trying to get out and stuff. we tried to go to our whole do door. it was pitch black. we had to wait for the people to come. we had to hop on that ladder and just go down. it was scary. i'm glad we made it out.